


Not Just for Christmas

by ultraviolethaz



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Bookstores, Christmas, Christmas Cookies, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, M/M, Strangers to Lovers, slight - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2019-12-28
Packaged: 2021-02-19 03:28:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22004467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ultraviolethaz/pseuds/ultraviolethaz
Summary: Alec hates the holiday season, but maybe one man can change his mind?
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Comments: 2
Kudos: 47





	Not Just for Christmas

**Author's Note:**

  * For [xxDreamy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxDreamy/gifts).



> Hello!
> 
> Long time no fic. This is a belated Christmas gift for one of my best friends, who is always there when I need her. I hope you feel better :( Love you
> 
> Enjoy!

_ You are all the colours in one. At full brightness - Jennifer Niven _

Well fuck. How Alec had gotten himself into this situation he had no idea. Right now he should be relaxing deep in the mountains with a glass of red wine by the fireplace, watching the snow fall. Alone. But no, he was in the middle of New York, in the back of an Uber on his way to the annual Christmas Dinner, his mother held at their home. It wasn’t a big event, well as big as you can get for a brownstone in New York, about 30 people all crammed into the tiny 2 bedroom terrace enjoying each other’s company. Discussing anything and everything over a glass of champagne and an endless supply of panettone. Alec loved his family and he enjoyed Christmas just as much, but he just liked to spend two weeks before, away from everything. Work especially, he hated getting near the holidays, panicked shoppers, significant others rushing in to find their partners gifts. He loves his bookstore but god he hates working holidays. At least he has Maia to keep him sane.

The Uber pulled up outside his mother’s house, Alec slid himself out of the car and onto the sidewalk. Looking up at the building he had grown up in, from where he was standing he could see a few people milling inside the living room. Walking up the front steps he raised his hand to the door before it swings open in his face, revealing his mother stood there, with a massive smile on her face. 

“Oh honey it’s so lovely to see you”

“You too mum” Alec says, trying not to squish the present he brought with him. “I got you something” He tries to shove it into her hands, before she places a hand on his back and is ushering him inside, like a price she just won at the fair. 

“Everyone this is my son, Alec” Alec just nods his head slightly and smiles, as many people rush towards him to talk. He knows these people are important to his mother or her business in some way, but he doesn’t know anyone here. Not even one, his sister Isabelle isn’t here, away with her girlfriend, in Hawaii. 

Alec excuses himself from a conversation to escape to the roof, he used to hide up here when he was a teenager, feel the fresh air on his face or rain drops as they fall into his hair. He always loved the garden up here, his mother had started it before Isabelle was born but gave up when her business took off and she had to focus on other things and raising children by herself, once Robert had left. Alec looked after it as best he could, before he moved out, and now it’s almost as dead as it was when he found the escape hatch up here. Opening the hatch, he’s met with cold air and smoke? ‘ _ Where the hell is that coming from’  _ he thinks as he walks the last few steps up onto the patio. There is a person sat in the corner, smoking a cigarette, back turned to Alec, so he coughs lightly to alert them of his presence. Before he can think there's a pair of eyes on him, then the look of panic

“Hi” The man says, turning back to the city, “Are you going to come over here or stand there staring at me?” Alec collect himself and walks over, sitting himself down on the edge of the flower box, joining the man in looking out at the lights. They don’t speak, or even move, Alec only shuffles slightly to retain body heat. The man puts out his cigarette and doesn’t make an attempt to move, Alec has been thinking about what to say for the last ten minutes, how he can talk to the man, without making a fool of himself. 

“You must be the elusive son” Alec turns to the man, sees the smirk on his face before replying

“Is that what they’ve been saying about me?” A chuckle escaping with the question, they talk for a while, before heading back down, through the hatch, to the party. Alec never finds out the man’s name, as he heads home and mentally facepalming himself for being so stupid and never asking.

It’s the week before Christmas, Alec is stood in the bookstore hiding in the backroom as Maia deals with the last customer of the day. Pretending to put books into the shelves, as Maia rounds the corner and joins him

“Lightwood it doesn’t work on me, but is it okay if I leave now?” She’s never asked to leave early so Alec lets her, not without asking why she has to go, finding out it’s because she’s meeting Simon’s family for the first time. Maia escapes leaving Alec alone in the store. He makes an effort to clean up what displays customers have inevitably messed up, while they were browsing. Pulling on his apron strings to lift the cloth above his head, the bell above the door stands, he had changed the sign right? Going back into the main room, Alec doesn’t pay any attention to who walked in until he looks up from the books he’s moving on the desk.

“Sorry we’re cl…” Glancing up to see the man from the party, an ‘oh’ slips passed his lips as the man looks him square in the face. 

“Oh hello” The man seeming just as confused as Alec “I just here to introduce myself but it would seem I don’t have to” Alec’s mind is still confused about what’s going on, vaguely remembering seeing some email about the new bookstore opening just streets away from his own, and a photo of this man’s face attached to it. At the time he hadn’t paid any attention to the email, thinking how new stores in this part of town, never last more than 2 weeks and right before Christmas this guy didn’t stand a chance. Now, however, Alec wasn't sure what to think.

“I never got your name” The man speaks again

“Alec” 

“Nice to see you again, Magnus Bane” He held out a hand in Alec’s direction, which he accepted and they smiled and nodded at each other,in understanding. Everything they had maybe accidently spilled to each other on that roof, was to be forgotten, in place of rivally. They were now competitors in the same line of work, just trying to stay afloat. 

Christmas was finally over, Alec could finally find time to relax, there wasn’t huge demand anymore, just the odd teenager coming in with Christmas money to buy the book their parents wouldn’t get them. Alec empathised with these people a lot, they often ventured in to buy that one book they knew their parents would never approve of but couldn’t take away if they bought it with their own money. He was exactly the same, craving that one romance novel that showed how he felt on the inside, the one book that had everything he had been looking for in a book. This was why he opened a bookstore, wanting to be that local store down the road that had that missing book in everyone’s collection, he had finally found his place. 

HIs phone buzzed on the sideboard, a text from Maia of a link. Opening it, it revealed an article of ‘The Local Bookstore You Never Knew You Needed’ and what could technically be classed as a mugshot of Magnus Bane’s face underneath the headline. Alec scrolled through the article, read every word, forgetting his food that was cooking in the oven until the smoke alarm sounded and he was sent into a frenzy with a tea towel and a broom, trying to stop the beeping. Not really how he saw his night going as he’s ringing the takeout downstairs and asking for twelve dumplings, in place of the pasta bake he was planning on eating for the next three nights. Besides the point because Magnus Bane has an article written about him, a big deal for such a small business owner, and something that Alec doesn’t have. An article, sure his mother had offered to send one of her many friends down but he had claimed he wanted to do it alone. Maybe to show his mother that he could truly make it on his own, but three years down the line and he has nothing. Okay… he has a successful business and a pretty amazing co-owner but he had always planned out his life, even when he was small. Always had this vision that he would open his own store, helping people publish their books and be married to someone who hopefully had the same love for books. All he had was the bookstore, which don’t get him wrong was the best thing he could have wished for but at 26 he had thought he would have more, but life doesn’t work out the way you planned and that's okay and Alec has accepted that. The article- not his- is still staring at him on his phone when he heads to bed, he hates that he kept it open and kept rereading it and rereading it and rereading it on an endlessly loop. After a while he finds himself staring at the image of Magnus more than reading the words, and this is not normal. He’s been staring too long, picking out every little detail on Magnus’ face, the smirk on his lips as the photographer takes the picture, the small mole above his right eye. That one freckle that sits on his ear, Alec shouldn't be noticing these things but he can’t stop staring. If he’s honest Magnus is the most beautiful man he’s ever seen. Although not seen in this photo, Alec can see Magnus’ golden eyes staring at him, he’s seen those in real life he knows the colour.  _ Shit.  _ Has he got a crush?

\--

Its months before Magnus sets foot in Lightwood’s again, he has no reason being here, other than he can’t stop thinking about a certain raven haired man. Once inside he thinks about some excuse he can use that has found him in this situation. He wanted to see Alec- although true it’s too forward. He needs advice- why would he come to his competitor about advice? He has nothing, he’s about to turn on his heels and leave again but Alec steps out from behind a shelf and they are face to face again. 

“Oh Magnus, what brings you here?” Manus can see the way Alec is figetting in his place, but he is too dumb to take notice of it too hung up in what he’s going to say and his own nervousness about the situation.

“Oh I uh haven’t uh I wanted to see you” Oh there it was, everything he was trying not to say. Shuffling on his feet, before saying, “I think I better go” Pointing at the door behind him and making an attempt to leave before there was a hand on his arm

“Please don’t go” So he didn’t Magnus stayed, maybe longer than he should have, hiding in the backroom, Alec only leaving to attend to any customers that came in. Magnus finds himself wanting to reveal all to Alec, sure they’ve only had two conversations- this one included- but he doesn’t know it’s so easy to be relaxed with Alec, like the world stops turning for a few precious minutes and Magnus can just be. He likes it but he’s also terrified by it. He has never been one to open up, only Catarina knows his deepest secrets but he feels different and he's not sure he likes it. He leaves that afternoon with Alec’s cell number tucked neatly in his jeans pocket. 

**You have a way with words Mr Bane.**

Magnus reads it over and over again, he’s been texting Alec for a while now, they started off with comedic book jokes, stupid things Magnus was pulling out of his ass to try and make the man on the other end happy. Then they slowly faded into every day speak, their interests, the bookstores, friends. It turns out they have a lot in common, more than Magnus is comfortable admitting to more than himself. Alec loves movie adaptations of books, even when they aren’t true to the original tet, Magnus is the same. Alec loves cats and their tiny eyebrow whiskers- Magnus is sworn to secrecy on that one. Alec has an unhealthy obsession with Thai food. Magnus suggests they should eat it together one night, but that made Alec go quiet so he won’t be attempting that again. Right now, they are talking about some random book that was supposed to be published but they now have a gofund me page, that everyone in Brooklyn got sent in some weird email from an unknown source. Magnus mentioned he had been writing little bits every now and then- Alec immediately asking to be sent a section, Magnus did this and this is where they are now. Alec complimenting him. Don’t get him wrong he doesn’t hate being complimented, who hates it? But he never knows how to accept them. 

**You are too kind Alexander**

Now that was new, the Alexander bit. It had slipped out by accident when they were both coincidently watching the same show one random Tuesday night. Alec hasn’t protested about the use of this name so Magnus continues to use it. Like it’s the most natural thing ever. He doesn’t know when feelings came into this but here he is. Hopelessly crushing on his rival Alexander Lightwood. 

The next time Magnus sees Alec, it’s in some stuffy coffee house on a random corner of Brooklyn. Magnus thought he had forgotten what Alec looked liked- he almost did truth be told, the only part he could never shake were those bright hazel eyes. Alec seems as shocked as Magnus when he turns, coffee cup in hand, ready to leave and carry on with his day. They end up sitting for hours- again- it always seems like minutes to Magnus like time moves too fast in their world, when the rest of it slows down. Magnus ends up letting slip that he has no plans for the day and was just going to sit in the store and read one of the new books in that week. Alec offers to join him. And he does. They sit crossed legged in the middle of two tall shelves reading some random book, about ill fated romance that Magnus finds himself loving and wanting to read it ten times over. Looking over at Alec and the way his eyes dance across the words on the page, reading each line, Magnus can’t help himself as his lips tip at the corner and he’s smiling to himself. Fully aware that Alec could look up at any moment and catch him staring, but he doesn’t care not even a little bit.

It takes almost all day before he finds himself reaching for the half empty cigarette packet in his pocket. It's a dirty habit, he hates himself for even picking it up in the first place. Stringing from a time in high school when his father was around and his mother wasn’t doing great, as a way to get the anger out without breaking anything, other than himself. That’s why he dropped it, in college that first year. He stopped, cold turkey. But that didn’t help because he craved it, missing the feeling of something just hanging in his lips, that horrible thing that is killing him slowly, he missed it. For no other reason than he was failing again, not at school, never at school. Just at life. He had placed one in his mouth just to see what it was like, just to get the feeling back, but then he lit it and fell down the rabbit hole again. Now he’s here, promising himself he’ll give up but also not wanting to, because everything is going so well. Everything always seems to go well when he’s smoking.  _ Dirty habit  _ pops back into his mind when he opens the packet, glancing at Alec, from where he’s stood at the door to see the man’s eyes already on him. Magnus doesn't know what Alec is thinking, if he’s honest, he doesn’t really want to in this moment. But he can read it in his eyes, those fucking hazels tell him he shouldn’t light that cigarette that it’s not worth it, because maybe just this once he doesn’t need them. 

\--

Central Park, Alec loves it here, it’s the peace in all the chaos. New York is full of people rushing and not giving much thought of anyone that isn’t themselves, as they run the sidewalks. Alec doesn’t like that about the city, he never has. That’s why he brings Magnus here, not a date- not yet anyway- but they somehow accidently set up a book club between the two of them. Every week a new book, it’s Alec’s turn this week. He brings All The Bright Places, Maia had been talking about the book all week, until he caved and ordered it last Monday when he made a routine stock update. He can see Magnus from where he’s standing, but he’s hesitant to go over and he has no idea why, maybe he should just turn around and go home, claim he’s sick or something. Magnus hasn’t seen him anyway. He’s getting pulled one way and as much as he wants to turn around, he wants to see Magnus, he’s missed him. So he walks over, more that his feet make him walk and there's no turning back now because Magnus is standing and waiting for him to get closer so they can share a hug. That’s new. First it was Alexander, then it was the books and now its a hug. When they had got to the stage in their friendship where they hug each other, Alec had no idea although he wasn’t complaining about it. A flaw with being Magnus’ friend is that the crush he had tried to push so far down that he would never see it again, was now bubbling over and Alec had no way to stop it. Every time they hug, he thinks it could be the last, so he soaks everything about it up. The way Magnus’ hands are always flat on his back pulling him impossibly close. The way Magnus’ head just fits into the crook of his shoulder and stays there than is normal for a platonic friendship. What he doesn’t know is that Magnus is thinking the same thing. Enjoying the way Alec can’t quite drop his head onto his shoulder, and he can feel the man’s breath on his neck, the way Alec’s hands always end up half way down his back even though he’s really hugging his shoulders. All they can do is soak up these not so plantonic moments in favour of keeping their feelings to themselves. 

Half way through the book, the heavens open, rain starts running down both of their foreheads and there isn’t much shelter here in the middle of the park so they make a run for it. No destination in mind, but running in the rain is always fun. Alec remembers doing this with his sister many times, when they lived in the brownstone, they had a small shed at the end of the lawn. A safe haven for Isabelle when she was too small to go through the hatch in the roof. Alec filled it with blankets and pillows, even managing to find a small static television to place in there so they could watch VHS tapes. Magnus grabs his hand as they run through the park, almost flying two different directions, and Alec finds himself laughing for no reason. Before he knows it Magnus has dragged him into some metal marquee, Alec has never been to this part of the park before, it’s right next to the lake and he realises just how much it was raining and just how soaked Magnus is. Standing in front of him in a thin sweater, hair dripping and pointing in all directions, he wonders what he looks like but it can't be bad because Magnus is smiling brightly at him. Alec hopes he’s the only one that gets to see that smile, it’s a special smile, one he doesn’t want to share with anyone else. But he knows he can’t be the only one Magnus looks at like this, with the earth shattering smile. Absentmindedly Alec has stepped closer, into the other’s space, into a space he hasn’t occupied yet, until just now. He can hear the sound of the rain on the metal roof but that doesn’t matter, it also doesn’t matter that the only other sound he can hear is his breathing, and how unsteady it’s getting as they step into each other’s personal space. Fingers are trailing up his arm and before he knows it, there’s hot lips on his own. When they say, kissing someone for the first time feels like falling and then feels a lot like you can’t breathe, well they were absolutely right. Alec is doing everything not to pull away, he doesn’t want to feeling of Magnus’ lips on his, to end. But he knows that he needs to come up for air. So he does and he’s barely got his breath back before he’s pulled back in. 

\--

It’s Christmas in New York, ironically a busker is playing The Fairytale of New York on the flute, as Alec walks towards the bookstore. He smiles to himself, a box in his hand as he weaves his way through the Christmas crowd. The box is for Magnus, it’s stuffed with cookies, star shaped ones to be exact. Alec knows by now how much his boyfriend loves Christmas, everything to do with it, the lights, the tree, the presents and especially the food. All but certainly the desert part of the food. Magnus has the biggest sweet tooth that Alec has ever seen and he shared a house with Isabelle at one point in his life. Entering Bane’s Books, Alec is greeted with the scent of cinnamon, a candle that Magnus has been burning for the last month and a half. 

“Magnus?” Alec questions as he steps closer to the till, placing the box down so it’s no longer heating his hand. Magnus appears from where he was crouched under the desk, making Alec jump out of his skin, thankful that he put the cookies down now. “Jesus Christ” clutching at his chest as Magnus just laughs at him.

“I’m sorry”

“No you’re not”

“Yeah you’re right I’m not that was the funniest thing I’ve seen all week. And I saw you trip over your own shoe on the way to our bed” Oh yeah Alec forgot to mention in the 7 months he’s been dating Magnus, they have moved into an apartment together, maybe a little too fast but nothing has ever felt more right in his whole life. That and their leases ran out close together. He glances around himself to see if anyone is around, even though he walked in minutes before and saw no one was here. 

“I bought you these cookies but I think I’ll just take them”

“Hey now don’t be so haste” Magnus makes grabby hands for the box of cookies. They end up sitting in the back of the shop, eating the whole box and talking about their plans for the holidays. They are spending the whole day with their families, which to Magnus is all his friends that Alec met not long after they went on their second date. They are hosting, Magnus is cooking because Alec can’t cook for shit and he doesn’t mind at all, he’s not up for poisoning his friends and family. The only thing he’s dredding is his mother, he’d taken Magnus to meet his mother- again but this time as his boyfriend she had been welcoming at the time but Alec knew his mother and he knew she wasn’t best pleased. If he was honest, he didn’t care not one bit about what she thought. 

Watching Magnus and the way he sat crossed legged on the chair, like some crazy wizard, Alec knew the holiday season wouldn’t be so bad as long as he had this man by his side.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Twitter @cobaltbane


End file.
